• @[email protected]
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    34 days ago

    “Karen” is a character, a specific trope. It happens to be a woman, but there is no inherent generalization that all women are Karens. It’s gender-specific so I would use something gender-neutral instead, but it is not generalizing behavior across a group of people. The biggest issue with it is that it’s unfair to people named Karen. Also maybe it’s just me but I haven’t seen or heard anyone use this in a couple years now.

    I haven’t heard anyone use the words “Phillistine” or “Luddite” as insults in probably more than a decade. If anything, I’ve seen the Luddites get a bit of a resurgence in popularity as an important early labor movement against capitalists. A lot of their concerns turned out to be true, and we are seeing parallels today with the rise of AI.

    “Barbarian” means someone who is non-Greek, and later the Romans used it to mean someone who is non-Roman. This is a similar example to “retarded” where it is context-dependent. The word “mansplaining” does not stem from an inoffensive use like this, so I’m not sure why you’re bringing it up.

    Eat the Rich and All Cops Are Bastards are fucking based, because being wealthy and being a class traitor are choices these individuals are making, not identities. I would call serial murderers monsters, and racists pieces of shit.

    I’d say “nice try” but really this attempt kinda feels like you’re just throwing shit at the wall in the holes that something sticks. It’s almost impressive how hard you are fighting to feel good about using sexist microagressions.

    • @[email protected]
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      14 days ago

      It’s just pointing out that your position isn’t consistent and seems to be related to how close the subject is to your own experience, while providing examples of the phenomenon of turning a derogatory generalization into a broadly understood concept that isn’t necessarily attached to its root. (Barbarian is a fun one since the word was making fun of the way foreigners talked. I don’t know of a direct contemporary comparison because people would rightfully point out that “chingchonger” is wildly offensive.) “Mansplaining” is a behavior specifically called out as a self-assured-man-assumes-ignorance-in-woman-and-condescendingly-explains-a-thing. It’s not just dudes talking, it’s not all men, and it doesn’t hurt men that the behavior is identified. Mansplaining is a particular tone and context, it’s hyper-specific language critical of one facet of patriarchal dominance and the assumed value of masculinity.